It doesn't take a genious to realize that my totals this month were considerably lower than last month. Oy oy oy. Not that I am going to make any excuses, but I do like to take a look back and notice everything that was going on around me that affected my workouts:

11 days of NO physical activity what-so ever

1 week of a nasty cold

4 days with flu-like syptoms that knocked me off my feet

1 knee injury that cut back my running (started February 4th)

4 swims

3 bikes

10 runs ... averaging less than 2 miles each

2 days of yoga only

1 - first PT session

5 days of PT exercises

Crazy, ugly month. I look forward to March being a helluva lot better! In fact, I am going to try and get more aquainted with my Tri Power book and see if it is something I am ready to start in March! I am kind of excited!

Thursday, February 26, 2009

I am in my third day of the PT exercises. When I woke yesterday, I was a little sore in my upper quads. This was a sure sign of where I am weak. I struggled to do anything that required lifting my legs, ie. dressing. In addition, I am can't believe how tight my right calf is in comparison to my left (same leg as knee issues... I sense a connection). Even after stretching both 3-4 times per day for the past few days, it is still extremely tight whenever I got to stretch it. As I look back prior to my appointment, I realize that I never really stretched my calves as well as I thought. Not as the doctor prescribes.

Yesterday I did a very short run and had no pain what-so-ever. I didn't want to go too far with my quads being a bit sore. So I biked a little afterwards. My PT said to try to stay away from running for a while, and if I need to do some cardio, try and get into the pool. Furthermore, he reminded me that I know the difference between good and bad pain, and to listen to my body. My number one priority right now is the strengthening exercises and everything else has been put to the side, especially for the first week or so. I want to be ready for more challenging exercises when I meet with my PT next week.

This afternoon I did my second round of strengthening exercises for the day, as well as my Yoga for Strong Knees video. I noticed that a lot of the exercises on the video were either the same or similar to the exercises my PT gave me. So, I didn't double up. I still don't know how impressed I am with the video because it doesn't consist of too many "moves/exercises". However, it really does a great job explaining the importance of strengthening the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors, and calves.

The weather here has gone ugly again. Blizzard-like conditions. Don't ask me how much snow we've gotten, but it's enough to pile up on the roads and driveways. Enough to help you get stuck when turning onto a side street or into a driveway. With the wind, there are huge piles in some areas and none in others. I had to gun it to get into my driveway and garage. I am not going to attempt any snow removal until the wind dies down. I am sure my neighbor will beat me to the punch and blow my driveway for me anyways. Lucky me.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

I had my appointment this morning with the physical therapist to check out my right knee. I hate to admit it, but I was very anxious and afraid of what he was going to tell me. I spent some time giving him a little background information:

The pain started after a short 3 miler the first week of February, about a week and a half after a glorious pain free 7 mile run. The initial pain was mostly tightness and tracking issues, followed by pain going up and down the stairs. Then I laid of from running, only running about 2-3 miles 2 or 3 times per week. Then, the pain was only noticeable after 2 miles of running and was followed by tightness around the knee. At this point in time there was no concern with tracking or pain going up and down the stairs. The past week I didn't run a single mile, until this morning when I ran a little under a mile to "test out" the knee and all was pain free.

Then he did some exploring; bending my legs, playing with the kneecap, feeling the muscles and tendons around and behind the knee, rotating my feet, stretching my hips, etc. He had me do some strengthening exercises, and after all this, he noticed the following:

My hamstrings are okay, but could be stronger

My quadriceps, hips, and glutes are weak

My left glutes/hips are weaker than the right

My calves are extremely tight

He said I have one disadvantage that I can't do anything about: I am a female. With that, I am wide in the hips, narrow in the knees, and then go out again from there to the feet. He checked my feet and arches and was happy to see that they are pretty strong. No orthotics necessary.

He showed me a handful of strengthening exercises, with and without the bands, and gave me homework to complete prior to my return appointment next week. If your interested, and looking for some strengthening exercises to work similar muscle groups as I am, here are a handful:

Leg lifts (on back, elbows, and sitting up): Start with laying on back, one knee bent, and other leg straight with toes pointed outward. Then raise the leg, stopping when it reaches the height of the other knee, hold for 2 seconds. Do 10 repetitions, 2 times.Repeat with other leg. Do this routine while 1. laying on the back, 2. propped up on the elbows, and 3. sitting up. They will, and should, be more difficult when sitting up. This should be done 2 times per day.

Side Leg lifts: Lie on side with right leg on top. Bend lower leg slightly. Raise top leg straight up, without letting it come forward. Make sure to keep body in a straight line from shoulders, to hips, to feet. Hold for 2 seconds, and relax. Do 10 repetitions, 2 times, on both sides. This should be done 2 times per day.

Knee Strengthening: Using a stretching band, create a loop at one end. Place one leg in the loop, and stick the other end in a closed door. Make sure the band is wrapped around the knee and step away from the door far enough to have some good tension. Begin with knee bent partway, then slowly straighten the knee (into locking position). Slowly bend knee again. Do 15 repetitions, 2 times, with both knees. Do this 2 times per day.

Side-stepping: Use a stretch band with two ends tied together to create a loop. Place both feet inside and wrap it around the legs, halfway up the calves. Side step, keeping tension on the band, and shoulders level. Do NOT let the leg drag as you are stepping to the side. Do 3 sets to fatigue.

IT Band Stretch: There are two different ways you can stretch the IT band. 1.) you can stand with the right leg behind the left, reaching over to the left. It may help to stand near a wall and use your left hand to support the body as your right hand stretches over your head. Hold 5-10 seconds and do 5-10 repetitions. Switch and do the same on the other side. 2.) Lie on your left side, the edge of your bed or a table, with your left knee slightly bent. Lift your right leg and let it hang over the side of the table/bed. You should be able to feel the band stretch in the right leg. Hold for 10 seconds and do 5-10 repetitions. Switch and do the same on the other side. One of these stretches should be done 2 times per day.

Calf Stretch: Position body against the wall with one left foot behind. Point toes straight ahead and hold heal down. Lean into the wall so you feel a stretch in the left calf. Hold for 30 seconds, 1 repetition. Switch and do the other calf. This should be done 4 times per day.

If you are confused with any of these, let me know and I will try my best to clarify!

The PT recommended that I work to strengthen my muscles before really getting back into my half marathon training. He said thatI need a good 5-6 weeks of strengthening. He didn't say I couldn't run, but if I do, he said to keep it minimal. He also said to be careful on the bike as well, as that can make knee issues worse, especially when on bikes that are not specifically set for me (ie. upright bikes). He was glad to see that I came in before it got worse and that I didn't continue to run through the pain. He says that with strengthening these muscles, I should be able to run with little to no pain in the future. I left my appointment on cloud nine and ready to strengthen some muscles!

Product Review:

Yesterday I tried my Yoga for Strong Knees video. The total run time is 50:00 and a lot of it is used to explain what kind of muscles do what and why it is important to strengthen those muscles. I thought that was very informative, but don't want to watch it every time I do the video. I think that if I do it a few more times with the video, I will be able to do it without the video in about 30 minutes. So far, I think it is a good video. They recommend doing it every other day, but with my strengthening exercises given by the PT, I will try to incorporate this yoga video a 2-3 times a week.

Monday, February 23, 2009

This past weekend with the family was great. Friday night we had a bit of nasty weather to drive through but arrived safe and sound. What's new, considering I was in the car. After spending a good chunk of Saturday shopping, we relaxed at a local Wine and Bistro in Chanhassen and enjoyed wonderful music by Alison Scott. I tried finding a really good clip on youtube, but this is the best I could find. It gives you a good idea of what kind of music she performs:

Sunday we did a bit more shopping and then headed downtown for the Timberwolves/Lakers game. The Lakers currently have 46W and 10L, while the Timberwolves have 18W and 37L. It was a close game the entire night and the Timberwolves gave the Lakers a run for their money. However the Lakers pulled through with a win, 111-108. Here's a few pics from the game.

Tomorrow I am back to work AND I have my PT appointment. I will post more about that and my thoughts on my new Yoga Strong knees video tomorrow!

Friday, February 20, 2009

I want to do a quick shout-out to Lil Runner for the wonderful gift I received in the mail yesterday! She just had a beautiful baby boy 2 weeks ago, and since I had the closest guess for when he was going to arrive, she sent me this:I had to try it right away and mmmmm... it is so yummy!

Well, I am off and probably will be away from my computer for the next few days. My parents and youngest sister are leaving the Biz around lunch time today, picking me up after work, and we will be heading to the cities to see my sis! Sunday night we have tickets to the Timberwolves/Lakers game!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

When I was planning out my next swim workout in the pool, I wanted to encorporate a 10-minute time trial. I feel stronger and faster in the pool and wanted to see if there has been much improvement. In the process, I found a post from last February where I had done one, and the overall swim was 1600M. I thought if I did the same thing, it would be fun to compare numbers.

And, to top things off, I KNOW I could have pushed myself harder! I left the pool feeling good, but not tired. Hmm.

When I got home from work today I found my two packages propped up beside my front door. That irritates me when the postal service will do that, but at the same time, I didn't want to pick it up, either.

Look at what I got!!I can't wait to try the yoga video and start reading my book! I am really hoping that encorporating both into my routine will help with my knees and my overall strength, core conditioning, endurance, and flexibility!Today's Workout:Swim - 1600M, 35:07 , 2:11/100M

Today's Song:Beyonce - Halo (love this song.... the music and wait for the piano solo!)

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

This might be starting to look up. Well, at least I don't have a cold, the flu (or whatever it was) has left my body after 4 days, and I actually had enough energy to get to the gym today.

All I wanted to do at the gym was get in a good strength session, do some abs, and test out the knee on the bike. Ever since my knee started bothering me almost two weeks ago, I haven't been on the bike. On the bright side, I was able to ride with no pain. It was a good feeling.

I also cornered our school PT today and asked her what she would recommend as far as PT vs. orthopedic. I told her my situation with struggling to get into an orthopedic in a timely manner. In all, she recommended a couple really good PT's that she worked with at the clinic.... and I was able to get in with one next tuesday morning! Now I just need to figure out how to find someone to work with my students so I don't have to worry about a sub for a couple hours.

In the meantime, I will stick with swimming, biking, and strengthening. Soon I will be getting my Strong Knees Yoga video and Tri Power book!

Monday, February 16, 2009

I still am having a hard time fighting this "flu-like" stuff. Like I said before, Friday I really had the aches and chills, and slept for about 16 hours. Saturday and I Sunday I felt better. This morning, however, I woke up feeling neasuous and have on and off all day. My aunt, a nurse, says my symptoms all point to .... gasteroenteritis .... basically the flu.

This is rediculous.

Yesterday I did a 5K in honor of Non-runner Nancy and it wasn't pretty. After the 2nd mile it all went downhill and there was definitely knee pain and discomfort. I have made the decision to cut out running for the next week. Period.

I am trying to get in to see a specialist.

I realized how hard it is to get in to see an orthopedic under my health care providers, after my school contract hours. You see, we are short subs, and they are really encouraging us to do doctor appointments outside of work hours. Easier said than done. The earliest appointment I could get after 3pm was March 30th. The earliest appointment during the day is March 12th.

I am going to check into seeing an orthopedic outside my health care providers, the cost difference and such, and see if I can get in earlier. Others have also suggested seeing a physical therapist too.... any thoughts from you out there?

Sunday, February 15, 2009

I would have ran it yesterday, but I was struggling with flu like symptoms (just the aches and fever) Friday and into Saturday morning that left me in bed for about 19 hours. I was a little too weak to attempt it yesterday.

The Results: The first two miles were good and pain free. And then, it went all down hill from there. The knee just didn't feel right, it started to feel tight. I can't really say it hurt, because it really didn't. It was just very uncomfortable. And I was wearing the knee band as well.

I walked most of the last half mile. It was extremely frustrating.

The knee really only bothers me when I am running. And when I finish and stretch for a bit, the pain/tightness is gone. I doesn't seem to be swelling at all, however I still ice it and take ibuprofen after each run.

The knee has been bothering me for only about a week and a half, but it feels like an eternity.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Mom - Daily I am reminded of you through things I do and say, whether I left the burner on, scratched my head in frustration or deep thought, burned my arm on my curling iron, or laughed so hard I cried. You have taught me to be strong, patient, caring, and a walking "voice of reason".

Dad - You have pushed me to push myself, whether it be through running, life, or my career. You are a constant model of "hard work pays off". I think we can both be considered "work-aholics", in a good way. We also connect through a love of sports, and thanks to you, at times I may intimidate the opposite sex with my knowledge of basketball and baseball.

Susan - Whether your realize it or not, you have taught me a lot in the 22 years of your life. You are a constant reminder to me of how life should be full of of fun, silliness, and happy times. You're witty, and I love how you can find laughter in almost every situation.

Steph - Despite the few years of hair pulling and scars left behind when we were youngins', I believe we are closer now than we have ever been. You are driven, passionate, and a rock. You have no idea how much I have learned from you and your strength. And...I miss my second closet.

Blaine - Through marriage, you have been a part of our family for over a year now, but it feels like longer. Your sense of humor cracks me up (even though sometimes Steph tells me to not encourage you). You bend over backwards for anyone and everyone, and seem to know how to fix anything and everything. For real. You make my sister happy. You... are my number one soldier.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Yesterday's glass of wine with dinner and asleep before 830pm were a huge help. Today was much better, and I was able to concetrate long enough to actually get some paperwork done.

This morning I hit the thrillmill for a run. I must admit, I was extremely nervous, mostly afraid to see how it would work out. I haven't run since my 3 miles on Saturday, which doesn't seem like that long ago, but believe you me, it was.

Today, I donned a new piece to my running attire. The one and only, knee band. yay. Can you sense my excitement? As much as I was not thrilled to wear it, I was hoping it would help with the knee. Overall, the run was okay, but still not up to par. If I had more time and didn't feel rushed to get home and ice prior to getting ready for work, it probably would have been 3 miles. As for after the run, I didn't have that instant tightening feeling on the outside of my knee like I have the past few runs. Good news, right?

Well, I am off. I have plans tonight. I made a committment with somone to grab a couple drinks. As much as I am excited, I am kicking myself for making plans tonight... and forgeting that the Tar Heels are taking on Duke. I have been looking forward to this game pretty much all season!

This, my friends, is one of the rare occasions in which I wished I had DVR.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Today was almost as stressful as yesterday. I am truly grateful of how well the kids are and am constantly reminded of their drive to learn through hard work. All of my students put a smile on my face on a daily basis.

I still didn't sleep well last night so I didn't make it to the gym. And, I had a haircut appointment this afternoon after a meeting, and just didn't have it in me to head there at 6pm. I needed to get home, eat, and relax the rest of the evening. I am bound to enjoy a nice glass of wine and get a good night's sleep....vino y descansar.

Monday, February 9, 2009

I went to the pool this morning and kicked out 1600M. I was really hoping for 2000M, but I had to get to work early to prepare for a big meeting today and was on a time crunch. 1600M would have to do.

Instead of just kicking out 1600M straight, I tried to make it a bit more challenging, breaking it into 3 parts: 500M, 500M, and 600M.

The first 500M were nice and slow, foccusing mostly on getting my rhythm down and paying close attention to my form. Total time was 10:20, 2:04/100M.

The second 500M I wanted to push it a bit harder, but not too hard that I was going to have to take a break. Total time was 9:44, 1:56/100M.

The final 600M were to be a nice and slow consistent cool down. I think I was anxious to get it finished and get out of the pool. I know that I pushed myself a bit harder in the last 100M just to get it done. Total time was 12:14, 2:02/100M.

This was a fun workout. I can't wait to try it again and push myself a bit harder in the 2nd set!

It has been raining here all day. This is an oddity for ND in February. There are still mounds of snow all around, and it is raining. In fact, we are under a freezing rain storm warning. It's rediculous. The roads were horrible this morning and they are only going to be worse tomorrow when the temps drop back down below freezing.

Work was uber stressful this today. Enough to curb my appetite and give me a nice headache. The kids were great, however. 'nuff said.

On the flip side, my body is craving a good long run. Heck, I wouldn't mind having a nice 2-3 miler pain free. I just want to be able to get back to running and not have to deal with this darn knee issue. I know I said Saturday that I was going to wait to run until Thursday of this week, but I might try a mile tomorrow prior to getting on the bike to see how the knee is doing.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

I tested out the knee again. I did have a 5 miler on the schedule today, but knew that if the knee was going to bother me, I was going to quit right away.

Overall, I was able to run with little to no discomfort, for the first couple of miles. From there on out, I did a lot of walking. It just felt like my knee was getting really tight, causing the knee cap to not track properly. This is a bit of progress from my attempt to run Thursday, however. I came home, popped a few ibuprofen, iced, and stretched.

I know I need to take it easy still. I have plenty of time to build up my long runs. My plan is to take a handful of days off of running completely. I will swim tomorrow, rest Monday, short bike Tuesday, swim Wednesday and then try to run again Thursday. In the meantime, I will continue doing my knee strengthening exercises2-3 times per day.

Taryn recommended a yoga video that works on knees, so I will look into that too. I know that my knees are the weekest/most injury prone parts of my body, so I really need to work on strengthening them.

Total distance = 2050MHow did it go? I thought it went pretty well. It was hard to know how fast to start out, knowing that each set needed to get faster and faster. Our rests between sets were definitely longer than 20 seconds because we were trying to figure out the length of each set. I look forward to doing this one again, knowing that I could push myself a little bit harder, even from the beginning. I know I said it after my last workout, but Iwill wear my watch next time. It will just be that much easier to keep track of the time/splits.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Sometimes I think I make a mountain out of a mole hill with some of my "injuries". Maybe I am just being extra cautious. I don't know.

Yesterday's issue with my right knee left me worried. Worried about my long run I had planned for this weekend. Worried about the half marathon. Yeah, the half marathon that is in 3 months from Monday. You would think I would be happy that I still have three months to prepare, giving myself some much needed rest before building those miles back up again. That however, isn't the case.

Last night I spent a good amount of time doing some strengthening exercises while I was watching some basketball on tv. I found this really good website that talks about the knee and different kinds of exercises you can do. After doing a handful last night, my knee was better this morning. The ultimate test was going down, and most importantly up the stairs. No pain. No issues. All day my knee was fine. Absolutely fine.

Was it a fluke?

I did a couple strengthening exercises on and off while I was at work today. At least the ones that I was able to do without having to lie on the floor. After work, I wanted to test it out on the treadmill. I told myself if it started to bother me, I would quit. 'Nuff said. Sure enough, it did bother me a bit... but not as bad as Wednesday. After a mile I called it quits and did some lifting and more leg strengthening.

Grr.

Tomorrow I will hit the pool for a nice speed session, giving my knee another day. I will just continue to do the strengthening exercises multiple time a day, and hope for the best.

One day at a time.

Today's Song:Play'N Skillz ft. Pitbull - Get Freaky (in sidebar)(Caution: lyrics are not for the ears of little ones)

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

I think I am finally starting to feel better. I am not 100% just yet, but only a stuffy nose today is a helluva lot better than what I dealt with the past 5 days. I really should have taken a sick day Monday or Tuesday because they were both brutal. I was miserable and I felt like I was useless to the kids. I left work yesterday shortly after I was done seeing kids at 2:30 and went straight to my bed. I slept for a good couple of hours, layed around all night and drank water like it was going out of style.

This morning I got up for a nice run. I wanted to test out the legs again to see if that weird twingy thing in my left leg/shin/ankle area was still present. No problem with that. I was feeling very queesy and struggled through the run in that aspect. On top of that, my right knee is bothering me a bit. I am having a bit of tracking issues.... looking at all the symptoms, I think I might be suffering from Patella Tracking Disorder. For reals.

Looking back on my half marathon training a year ago, I didn't really deal with this too much. I have in the past, when I first started running. The only difference between training last year and this year, there was regular strength training incorporated then. I need to get this back into my schedule. Bad.

Do you incorporate strength training into your routing? And if so, what does your week usually look like?

Monday, February 2, 2009

....Last week I received a wonderful gift in the mail from my aunt. Supposedly she just found out about my purchase of a home. I don't know how she missed the news, but the gift was very thoughtful! She is totally catering to my addiction. Thank you thank you thank you!

.....Friday I woke with a cold. Remember when I thought I was getting sick a couple weeks ago and I drowned myself in Airborne? That seemed to work then, but this cold came out of no where, and with a bang. It couldn't have come at a worse time, not that there is ever a good time to get sick, but I had busy plans for the weekend.

....my parents, younger sister, and I took a quick trip to the twin cities this weekend for my brother-in-law's going away party. It was bittersweet. He will be leaving in less than 2 weeks for his 2nd tour of active duty. We cannot dwell on the fact that his time in the military was to be up in a matter of days, but support him in every way possible for the next year. We will miss him so so much and will be counting down the days for his return home. Fortunately, my sister has a wonderful support system and plans to keep herself very busy and active while his is away.

....Today was the first day I worked out in 4 days! It was driving me crazy. I went out for a short run to test out my new kicks. It's amazing how wonderful new shoes feel. Aftwards I hopped in the bike for a little while. It felt pretty good.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

All looks pretty good considering there were 9 rest days in there, with 2 of them being unplanned. I might have increased my mileage too soon this month, but with new shoes (same kind, just new) and fresh legs, I look forward to getting back into the swing of things tomorrow.

About Me

I'm a 31 year old special education teacher. I work. I workout. And, I live life.... to the best of my ability. I am a runner and a triathlete. I have completed 6 triathlons, a half marathon, a 10K, and a handful of 5K's ... What will I do next?